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Day: May 12, 2019

2019 Health Yoga

There’s a full moon in Scorpio coming—so get ready for your libido to go crazy

5 min read

May 12, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Mark your calendars for May 18, when a lunar rendezvous in Scorpio (aka the sexiest sign in the zodiac) will be taking those lusty springtime feelings up several notches. But that’s not all that’s happening this week—and astrologer Jennifer Racioppi is here to break down what will be an action-packed week, in and out of the bedroom. The week ahead screams sex. On Monday, the sun in sensual Taurus makes a trine to Pluto, exacerbating feelings of spring fever, asking you to connect to your “want power.” Want power, different than willpower, is the ability to connect so deeply with your drive, that you are willing to do whatever it takes to align your life with your intended outcome. Your dissatisfaction and irrational needs can support you to conjure the energy required to make the changes you most want—so this isn’t about repressing your longings, but rather (as this week’s transits will ask of you) leaning into them with unbridled passion to explore them fully. With the moon waxing full, the vibes of the week are sultry and command the acknowledgment of your most infectious longings—this very well could express itself with distinct sexual needs, too. The full moon, which happens at 5:11 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, May 18, is in Scorpio, after all. If you feel your libido increase, allow yourself to embrace your inner erotic being. Even in you don’t have a partner, you can self-pleasure, move your body sensually, or

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2019 Health

Why borage oil’s benefits may not be worth the hype

5 min read

May 12, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC There are some herbs and botanicals that come backed with lots of research, like turmeric and ashwagandha. But there are other natural ingredients that have a bit less street cred, like borage oil. The supplement and skin-care ingredient is being tapped to treat a variety of problems, from hormonal (ugh, PMS) to topical (oh hey, eczema) to targeting specific chronic inflammatory conditions. But…how legit are these claims? Borage oil is derived from the seeds of the borage plant. The herb is called the starflower or, if you’re getting all technical and want to impress your friends: Borago officinalis. It’s famous for being rich in gamma-linolenic acid, or GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid. “GLA is thought to be associated with aging. As we get older and we have inflammation, we may become GLA-deficient,” says Amy Shah, MD, a double board certified physician and wellness expert in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Because about one-third of borage oil is made up of these GLAs, “borage oil is believed to have medicinal properties,” she says. Evening primrose oil is also used in similar ways, although borage oil contains even more GLAs. Here’s the thing: There’s not a huge body of research backing it all up. “There’s certainly an image of take such-and-such and you’ll be all better. The real truth is that 90 percent will come from diet and lifestyle, and [things like taking these supplements] may only improve your health by a small amount,” says Dr. Shah.

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2019 Health Relaxation

How to celebrate Mother’s Day when you’ve lost your mom

5 min read

May 12, 2019 at 06:15AM by CWC When I was 28 years old, my mom died. After the first few months of grieving, when I started to feel like things were getting back to normal, whatever that was, I started having crippling back spasms out of nowhere—the kind where I’d have to lie very still, on my stomach, head turned to the side (preferably on the floor). Until they eased up, I’d have to stay that way, sometimes for hours. After several months of trying to figure this out with doctors (they prescribed muscle relaxants, which wasn’t exactly the right answer if my goal was to be able to get in a car, go to work, and live my life!), I looked for answers on my own. Eventually I found some things that made a big difference: Certain foods made my mood better, intense workouts were more helpful than therapy IMO, I made sure I got enough sleep (that’s a huge one), and I let myself cry when I felt like it, even when it was inconvenient. (Moving to New York City helped with that one—you can sob on the subway and no one will give you a second look. The greatest city on earth!) Eventually I found that intense workout sessions, getting enough sleep, and letting myself cry helped. The only problem? There’s one day of the year that none of this works: Mother’s Day. Plus, I found that meditation profoundly changed my relationship with my grief—which, to my utter shock, I began to be able to “see” as

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2019 Health

Amanda Kloots’ pre-baby moves will help expectant moms get ready for motherhood

4 min read

May 12, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC With her at-home pregnancy workout, trainer Amanda Kloots wants expectant mothers to think about their pregnancy workouts the same way they’d train for a marathon. Only at this finish line, instead of getting a medal and a foil blanket, you get a baby. “I look at prenatal fitness as a nine-month program to prepare your body for the biggest physical event that it will ever go through,” Kloots, who is expecting her first child next month, tells me. “You’ve signed up for a marathon, and everyday before that race day you need to train for it.” She explains that she likes to think about getting ready for the big event—which is, you know, child delivery—in three parts. First comes cardio to help build your endurance and stamina, because “you don’t know if your labor will be 8 hours or 28 hours, so you need to prepare your body go the distance,” says Kloots. Second comes upper body work to help you maintain posture during pregnancy and beyond because, according to Kloots, “strong upper bodies and backs to support growing belly is very important but even more important is how you most likely will be holding your baby for more hours than you’ve ever held anything before.” And third comes your lower body, which includes your pelvic floor, glutes, and legs. “Pushing your baby out during labor really uses every muscle in your body, but especially your legs! A strong pelvic floor will only

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2019 Health Yoga

Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, here’s what your bedtime says about you

5 min read

May 12, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Have you ever been awake, late at night (or even into the wee morning hours), hopelessly wondering, “What time should I go to bed?” Probably, since sleep and feeling sleepy is a pretty constant topic of conversation, and (spoiler alert!) most of us aren’t getting enough. In fact, a survey of nearly 1,500 Well+Good readers revealed that people spend an average of six sleepless hours in bed a week, and 92 percent report feeling fatigued more than once a week, which is, you know, not ideal. So is your bedtime part of the problem, or is it just a matter of preference? According to one pro, there’s no right bedtime. “Honestly, I don’t really ever prescribe an ideal bedtime because there’s natural variations from one person to another,” says licensed psychologist and sleep-health expert Shelby Harris, PsyD. “Some people are early birds, myself included—I’d LOVE to be asleep by 9:30 p.m. every night. And others are night owls—my husband, for instance, likes to stay up until 1 a.m. sometimes.” Rather, the main issue at play here is making sure you get the right quality of sleep, and that your sleep duration makes sense with your bedtime of choice. But if you’re still curious about what your bedtime might actually signify about you and your sleeping habits, scroll down for Dr. Mary Grace’s* expert observations. Hour by hour, here’s what your bedtime says about you. 8 p.m.: You are either a farmer or a journalist

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